Belarus is a former Soviet Republic that gained its independence in 1991, after the the fall of the Berlin War and the dismantlement of the Soviet Union. Since 1994, the country is ruled by Alexander Lukashenko, a modern-world dictator. Now, he is going for his 6th consecutive term as President of the country.
Since its independence up until recently, Lukashenko was a very closed ally to Moscow and the country's foreign policies were dictated from Kremlin. Inside the country, people suffered, their President being a real dictator. The freedom of press index in Belarus is 153, according to 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
Corruption, human rights, freedom of association, transparency reach in Belarus one of the worst numbers from the entire planet.
But what really happened in 2020? Actually, the answer to this question is not clear. But a thing still happened: Vladimir Putin no longer supports Lukashenko. Why? Nobody knows now, but it might have something to do with the recent constitutional changes implement by Putin in Russia. Maybe Vladimir Putin, now when he secured his stay for life in power, considers that he needs other allies, especially in Eastern Europe to counterbalance the UE and NATO influence.
Recent events clearly showed that there is a rupture between Lukashenko and Putin. Few days ago, tens of Russian "operatives" were arrested in Belarus. The official statements of the Belarus authorities were that those Russians were sent to Minsk to prepare for overthrowing Lukashenko and put in his place a puppet controlled by Moscow and Putin. This has never happened before. Up until now, Russian were basically free to do whatever they wanted in Belarus.
To even highlight more the rupture, when Moscow denied the allegations and said that the Russians were just in transit, Lukashenko declared that the explanations were only lies. He further stated that Moscow's plans and lies for organizing a revolution in Belarus will fall.
Today, on the 9th of August, people from Belarus go to the polls to elect their new President. I reckon that there will be no surprises. Lukashenko's rival was arrested and this move sparked huge protests on the streets of Belarus. Still, the current President knows how to deal with this type of unrest and at the end of the day he will be President again.
He presents himself as the only person that can guarantee the stability and sovereignty of Belarus and to ensure full protection against those "puppeteers".
What will happen in the future, now that Belarus fell into disfavor, I do not know. But it is just a matter of time until the last dictator from Europe will fall.
